Water scooter

ABSTRACT

A water craft or scooter having an elongated, watertight and buoyant body or hull provided with a single ski or runner underneath it and pivotally attached to it and also connected to it by shock-absorbing means. The body or hull is provided in its rear area with laterally extending wings, each of which carries at its outer end, a buoyant float. The wings and their attached floats are easily detachable from the body or hull to thereby facilitate the transport and storage of the craft. The body or hull may be composed of fiber glass and it may contain a built-in fuel storage tank.

United States Patent Ueda [ Nov. 28, 1972 WATER SCOOTER [72] Inventor: Akita Ueda, Ostermalmsvagen 31 D, 612 O2 Finspong, Sweden 22 Filed: June 19, 1970 21 Appl. No.: 47,690

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 2,434,700 1/1948 Keckley ..115/70 3,143,996 8/1964 Chapman ..115/70 A water craft or scooter having an elongated, watertight and buoyant body or hull provided with a single Oct. 17, Japan or runner underneath it and attached to it and also connected to it by shock-absorbing means. US. Cl. The or is p id d in rear a [51] Int. Cl. ..B63b 35/00 58 M f Sea h 1 15 70. 1 14 66 H laterally extending wings, each of WhlCh cames at its 1 o N l outer end, a buoyant float. The wings and their attached floats are easily detachable from the body or [56] References Clted bull to thereby facilitate the transport and storage of UNITED STATES PATENTS the craft. The body or hull may be composed of fiber glass and it may contain a built-in fuel storage tank. 3,442,246 5/1969 Paolone ..1 15/70 3,483,844 12/1969 Trautwein ..115/70 3 Claim, 3 Drawing figures h l b e v l i I /o A /K f d P'ATENTEI] NEW 28 I972 sum 2 OF 2 WATER SCOOTER In water scooters presently in use there is a tendency, and particularly when the craft is not in motion, for it to tilt and possibly capsize. This is often due to a great extent, to the high center of gravity since the operator usually sits on the craft well above the water line. Also, many of these scooters are relatively wide and they employ two skis in side by side relation so that manoevering the craft by tilting or banking is difiicult. The width of such craft also results in considerable head resistance and the size and bulk of this type of craft causes difficulty in transporting and storing them.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a water craft or scooter which will eliminate the above shortcomings; which will be stable and particularly when standing still in the water; which can be readily tilted or banked while proceeding at high speed through the water; which will meet with low head resistance and which can be easily dismantled for transport and storage.

In the accompanying drawing wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a craft constructed in accordance with the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the same, and

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the same.

Referring to the drawing a indicates a single, lengthy ski or runner which is relatively narrow and is substantially of the same length as the body or hull b of the craft. Projecting laterally from the body b and adjacent to the rear thereof are wings d which are detachably secured to the body or hull b by means of bolts or other equivalent fastening elements.

The wings d carry buoyant bodies or floats c at their ends. Mounted at the rear of the body b is a fuel tank e which can in fact be made integral with the body. The tank supplies fuel to an outboard motor k located at the stern of the craft and between the floats c. At f is shown a downward extension or frame of the body b, the ski a being attached thereto by two shock absorbers or dampeners g one of each of which is located at each side of the extension f as clearly shown in FIG. 3. Adjacent to its forward end, the frame or extension f is covered by a deflecting hood h.

Foot rests j project laterally from the part f. Steering mechanism for either operating a rudder or moving the craft through a desired course by the swing of the motor, is shown at i and a set lfor the operator is shown at the top of the body or hollow hull b. The foot rests receive the feet of the seated operator. The forward end of the ski a is pivoted at 0 to the forward portion of the element f In the drawing, the line indicated at A constitutes the water line when the craft is not in motion and the line B indicates the water level when the scooter is in motion.

The wing-supported floats d and the hollow hull or body b provide substantial buoyancy for the support of the craft on the water. The craft will thus be easily sup ported in an upright manner when the craft is either in motion or is standing still. The floats c as well as the hollow body b may be composed of fiber glass or some material of similar characteristics. The hollow body or hull b into which the fuel tank e can be embodied, extends for substantially the length of the craft.

Because of the buoyancy attained by the floats, the possibility of the craft capsizing and especially while at rest, is avoided.

By removing the bolts n the wings d and their attached floats can be readily detached from the body so that the transverse width of the craft will be materially decreased, thus permitting the craft to be easily and conveniently transported and stored.

The advantages obtained with a craft of the type described are numerous. Good stability, and particularly when the craft is not in motion is attained due to the provision of wing-supported stabilizing floats; the fact that the operator sits forwardly of the floats and with his feet below the water level, and by the use of a single, relatively narrow ski or runner good water contact is obtained yet the operator can easily tilt or bank the craft to facilitate the making of a turn. The narrow width of the craft results in low wind resistance and numerous other advantages will be apparent to those indulging in water sports.

What I claim is:

1. A water scooter comprising, an elongated hull having an upper airtight portion provided with an operators seat on its top, a keel constituting a central downward extension of the hull, a ski located below the keel, said ski being attached by a horizontal pivot to the keel at a point adjacent to the forward end of the keel, shock absorbers located at opposite sides of the keel and extending between the hull and the ski, a float disposed at each side of the hull and spaced from the hull, and wings connecting the floats to the hull.

2. A water scooter according to claim 1, wherein the hull is provided with an integrally formed fuel tank, the wings and their attached floats being detachably secured to the hull, and a water-deflecting hood being located at the forward end of the hull above the ski.

3. A water scooter according to claim 1, wherein the single ski is resiliently as well as pivotally attached to the hull, the shock absorbers being respectively situated at the opposite sides of the hull, and the wings extending laterally from the opposite sides of the hull behind the shock absorbers. 

1. A water scooter comprising, an elongated hull having an upper airtight portion provided with an operator''s seat on its top, a keel constituting a central downward extension of the hull, a ski located below the keel, said ski being attached by a horizontal pivot to the keel at a point adjacent to the forward end of the keel, shock absorbers located at opposite sides of the keel and extending between the hull and the ski, a float disposed at each side of the hull and spaced from the hull, and wings connecting the floats to the hull.
 2. A water scooter according to claim 1, wherein the hull is provided with an integrally formed fuel tank, the wings and their attached floats being detachably secured to the hull, and a water-deflecting hood being located at the forward end of the hull above the ski.
 3. A water scooter according to claim 1, wherein the single ski is resiliently as well as pivotally attached to the hull, the shock absorbers being respectively situated at the opposite sides of the hull, and the wings extending laterally from the opposite sides of the hull behind the shock absorbers. 